How feng shui can improve travel 风水

Bring along a small animal figurine or talisman to lodge your energy into your new surroundings. (Photo: DCCXLIX / Flickr)

At about this time of year, my email box gets crammed with suggestions for summer travel tips stories from airports, airlines, car rental companies, online travel agencies…you name it. They all pretty much say the same things about getting to the airport early, packing lightly or preparing for delays.

This year, there’s a standout from Cathay Pacific, which has teamed up with San Francisco-based feng shui consultant, Allison Ayer, to curate tips to help travelers enjoy a restful, harmonious and healthy summer travel season and return home feeling balanced and refreshed.

“Although feng shui is widely considered to be the simple ‘art of placement,’ it is actually much more complex and revolves around the integration of heaven and earth and its effects on humanity,” said Ayer. “The movement of Chi – breath of life, energy, spirit – generated by humans and surrounding objects through space is beneficial. No matter how alluring it is to visit new places, travel can be taxing on the mind and body.”

Her simple and practical tips are as good for a road warrior heading off on a business trip as they are for a family taking off on summer vacation. Consider implementing these into your travel routine:

1. Bring a bit of “home” with you to lodge your energy instantly in your new surroundings. Make this bit of home have a protective vibe: find a talisman that feels connected to your personal ancestors and your home. It could be a small animal figurine with which you associate strength, a travel mezuzah, prayer beads, or a token or jewelry created or owned by your grandparents.

2. Pack something like a journal, camera or small watercolor kit that will intentionally allow you to utilize your alone time in a way that you wouldn’t normally do because of your family or regular responsibilities.

Open the hotel curtains/windows– like I did at the InterContinental Hong Kong last year! (Chris McGinnis)

3. Open the curtains of your hotel room / beach house etc. when you arrive; if possible, open the windows. Hang up your clothes and iron them when you arrive so they are ready in the morning.

4. Between flights, engage in soothing yin yoga and walking. Reapply moisturizer and drink lots of water. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and salty, fried foods as they all dehydrate and exacerbate an overabundance of yang/fire energy.

Sushi has a good balance of sweet rice (earth), fish and nori (water). (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

5. Eat small meals, focusing on earth and water element foods and hydrate copiously. Sushi is a great food for this, with its balance of sweet rice (earth), fish and nori (water). Nourish yourself with soothing tubers like sweet potato, fruits, and cucumbers.

6. If you don’t like the way a hotel room feels or smells when you walk in, turn around and go get a different one. Small scented soy-based tea-lights can add great warmth and “homeyness,” as well as clearing the space.

7. If there is a crack under the door, stuff a towel in it to block noise and bolster your sense of security and stability of the door. Feng shui likes a solid barrier between you and the outside world, especially when you sleep. Check the locks before you go to sleep. Get a wakeup call and set an alarm so you can sleep, knowing you will wake up when needed. Have your sleep aids next to your bed so they are ready if you need them at night – earplugs, eye-mask, etc. Keep your room and bathroom neat and tidy.

8. Many people like to turn a fan on in the room to create white noise. However, a wind that blows over your body while you’re sleeping robs a certain degree of generative chi from you, in the deepest time of intentional physical and energetic repair. If the fan blows directly on you, create a block of pillows or hang a towel over the fan, or simply use an app on your mobile device to create white noise.

9. Before you leave home, make sure that your plants are watered, your trash is out, clutter is cleared and bathrooms/bedrooms are clean and fresh, ready to welcome you into a place of rest and rejuvenation. Clear away any tasks from your visual line as you walk in the front door, or on your way to unpacking and getting into bed.

10. If you can, have flowers delivered to your home so that when you arrive, the space is redolent with pleasant aromas and revitalized, natural yang energy. Homes that sit dark for a long time will accumulate stale yin energy. Invite a friend to air out the home for you and ask THEM to bring you some flowers! Reciprocate when they are out of town.